Bible Talks - Family Church (9:45am)
Series: Baptisms
Great Expectations
Sunday, 27 November 2005
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Today is known in the church as Advent Sunday, it is officially the first day of the church’s year. So Happy New Year. Traditionally the season of advent is the time when we remember the coming of Jesus. Both in preparing to celebrate Christmas and also in being aware of Jesus’ promise to return to judge the world. This morning I’d like to focus on an aspect of Jesus’ first coming that often gets overlooked at Christmas but as this morning we’ll be baptizing several infants, I think it is appropriate.
It is covered in that bible reading from Luke's gospel and refers to Jesus’ presentation at the temple when he was eight days old, which is pretty much equivalent to our bringing babies to be baptized.
I find the events described for us in Luke 2:21 -40 as some of the most fascinating in the New Testament. It involves 4 characters as well as Jesus who was, if you like, a passive participant. There were his parents, Mary and Joseph, an old man, Simeon and an even older woman, Anna. None of them are giants of the faith, none of them get a mention in the list of heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11, none of them are members of the first team, like Noah, Abraham or Moses. I once heard someone say that if you were fishing and caught one of these you would throw them back. But never-the-less they were privileged in a way that those giants never were. They were privileged not just to be there when it happened but to be an integral part of it. Faithful Jews were looking for the coming of the Messiah, God’s chosen king and here they were, at centre stage in the action.
Paul in Romans reminds us that God sent “his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.” The writer to the Hebrews tells us that “he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.” Paul in his letter to the Galatians tells us “when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”
So Jesus, who was born the Messiah, conceived by the Holy Spirit, never-the-less had to perform, or have performed for him, all the obligations of the Law so that he might be fully identified with us so that in his death on the cross he would be able to fully substitute for us. So Jesus, God become man, but at this time still a helpless baby, voluntarily submitted himself to the requirements of the Law. The occasion before us is his presentation at the temple and circumcision. Later on he submits to baptism by John the Baptist saying, "Let it be so; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness."
So firstly his parents present him at the temple on the eight day to be circumcised as a sign that he is a child of the covenant between God and his people, the Jews In Gen 17 God said to Abraham, “This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.” The other significant thing that took place at his circumcision is that he was named Jesus, which means GOD IS MY SAVIOUR, as the angel had instructed both Mary and Joseph at the time of his conception.
Even though Luke doesn’t spell it out the rest of the events didn’t take place until Jesus was 40 days old. Here’s his mother, highly favoured by God, privileged above all other women to be the mother of God’s own son, but still required to present herself at the temple for her purification after the birth of her son. The fact that Jesus is the Messiah, God himself become man does not confer any special status upon her. Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, doesn’t get a front row seat in heaven. Like the rest of us she enters the kingdom through faith in the risen Christ.
It’s a fascinating study to look sometime at the saga of Mary as it unfolds through the gospels and Acts. She doesn’t have any special place like some try to give her but there is joy in the fact that she is amongst the faithful in the book of Acts and of course she was wonderfully blessed to have been chosen by god to be the mother of Jesus.
Even in this ritual sacrifice by his parents, Jesus undergoes humiliation, that is he is treated like any other person conceived and born in sin. This doesn’t mean that the conception and birth of a baby, even if the parents are married, is in itself sinful, but that because of Adam’s sin, we all carry the stigma of inherited sin. The sacrifices symbolized that as sinners we deserve death but our guilt is placed upon the animal who suffers death on our behalf. Of course we know now that the animals sacrificed in the Old Testament were themselves symbols of that one true sacrifice Jesus himself.
Joseph and Mary were such poor people that they gave as a sacrifice two doves instead of a lamb and a dove which they would have given if they were richer. This gives us an interesting insight into the reconciliation of the birth narratives in Luke’s and Matthew’s gospels. Each gives detail in the account of Jesus’ birth that is not given in the other. So Luke gives us the account of the stable, the shepherds and the angels and this account of Jesus circumcision and presentation at the temple, but Matthew hardly mentions Jesus’ birth and jumps straight to the visit of the Magi. Luke leaves out the years spent in exile in Egypt. Putting the two accounts together the sequence of events seems to be:
1. Jesus birth in the manger at Bethlehem.
2. 8 days later Mary & Joseph travel to Jerusalem, about 8km as the crow flies, for Jesus’ circumcision. Then return to Bethlehem.
3. After 40 days they return to Bethlehem for Mary’s purification and Jesus’ presentation which I’ll talk about in a moment. Again they return to Bethlehem.
4. About 2 years later the Magi arrive looking for the king of the Jews. They find Mary & Joseph and Jesus living in Bethlehem and present their gifts, then return home bypassing Jerusalem.
5. Warned by an angel Mary & Joseph flee to Egypt before Herod has all the boy babies under 2 in Bethlehem killed.
6. Mary & Joseph stay in Egypt until Herod dies in 4BC. Which incidentally places Jesus birth about 6BC. Someone got their dating wrong when working out the calendar.
7. Mary and Joseph return to Nazareth in Galilee where Jesus grows up and Joseph dies before Jesus commences his ministry about age 30.
Why Mary & Joseph’s sacrifice of only two doves leads to all this is that if they had already received the gifts of the Magi, gold frankincense and myrrh, they would no longer be poor. Everything being relative of course.
As well as Mary’s purification, they were also at the temple for the presentation of their first born to God. Remember in Exodus when the Angel of Death passed over the land and spared the Israelite first born if the household had the blood of a lamb daubed on the doorposts and lintel. In Exodus 13 God said to the Israelites, "Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal." This meant that every firstborn animal had to be sacrificed to God and a sacrifice had to be made to redeem the life of a firstborn son who would then be dedicated to God for a life of serving God. In most cases, in spite of this dedication, the firstborn sons didn’t serve God, but in Jesus’ case of course he did.
Now Simeon and Anna enter the stage. Notwithstanding the low spiritual state of the Jewish people at the time of Jesus’ birth, there were devout believers who were looking for the “consolation of Israel” which would come through the Messiah. In many cases their hopes were directed towards a political or military figure who would drive out the oppressing Romans. Two such people were Simeon and Anna. Both were old, both were prophets. Anna is actually called a prophetess while we are told that Holy spirit was upon Simeon.
The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit he had come into the temple just as Mary & Joseph arrived to present Jesus to God. People have speculated that Simeon had heard about Jesus’ birth from the shepherds but there is nothing in scripture to back this up. In any case God had revealed to him that this child was the Messiah so he took him in his arms and praised God in the words of what we now call the song of Simeon or by its Latin title the Nunc Dimittis.
Simeon would have spoken in Aramaic but we only have the Greek of the New Testament and in this the first word of his Simeon’s Son or prayer of praise is, “Now” This indicates that the era of salvation had come. God’s promise has been fulfilled and Simeon is prepared to die happy. God’s salvation has come in the person of the baby he holds in his arms. It’s not just the consolation of Israel but a salvation that is for all people, fulfilling God's promise to Abraham back in Genesis 12.
Although Mary & Joseph already knew, through the message of the angel and the words of the shepherds, that their baby was the promised Messiah, it wasn’t until Simeon sang his song of praise that they begin to realize the significance of it all. Simeon’s words cast new light on Jesus’ greatness and they respond with amazement. But even after this revelation their understanding is still limited. This is born out by their response to the incident at the temple when Jesus was 12 and comes out several times during Jesus’ ministry as Mary evidently does not understand.
After the hymn of praise Simeon acknowledges that God has conferred on Mary & Joseph a glorious privilege and prays for blessings on them, but after this he goes to address Mary and for the first time the coming struggle and sufferings are referred to. Simeon declares, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” Indicating that people will be divided on the basis of their response to Jesus. In fact Jesus will reverse the normal pecking order in society. Those who imagine themselves to be strong or high, who rely on their own merit and power will come to ruin because they do not realize their own need and so do not seek refuge in Jesus, the Messiah. While those who humble themselves, who come before him to confess their sin and seek him in faith will find themselves lifted up.
No one is able to take a neutral attitude towards Jesus. But of course many will reject him and bring about their own destruction.
This rejection reached its climax at the crucifixion. Simeon warns Mary that, “a sword will pierce your own soul too." Meaning that she will see the growing resistance and antagonism against Jesus and of course she will see him nailed to the cross. As I said before Mary herself came to see her own son as her Lord and we see her in the book of Acts amongst the early Christians.
Also present in the temple was Anna, the prophetess who proclaims Jesus’ messaiahship to “all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”
So Mary & Joseph did everything required by the Law of the Lord for themselves and for Jesus. Jesus as a baby was the passive participant in these events but he was also the Lord, the Messiah, subjecting himself in humility to the requirements of the Law so that he might identify himself with us so that on the cross he was able to bear our sins in our place. Simeon and Anna were placed there by God to proclaim what was going on so that we wouldn’t miss the significance of what took place. They may be minor characters on the stage of the world’s history but they are major central figures in the salvation that God has wrought for us in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, our only hope and Saviour.
Mary and Joseph as Jesus’ parents carried out the symbolic rituals of Judaism for a new born baby boy. They were claiming for Jesus the promises made by God to the parents of believers. Today in the Christian ritual of baptism Simon and Karina, and Stephen and Kylie, will be claiming the promises made by God for their children, Hayley, Sheree and Sarah.
Let’s pray.
